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Old May 8, 2012, 08:43 AM   #28
Unclenick
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Join Date: March 4, 2005
Location: Ohio
Posts: 21,024
AZAK.

I'm not spotting any load data (specific reloading component combinations with charge weight, case, primer, bullet) in that post of yours at all. No need for the warning. Indeed, reviewing the thread's OP, even though 17 grains of H110/296 is a little over Hodgdon's current maximum, I think I had two posts open at once and actually meant to insert the warning into the other. A moderater moment.

Nonetheless, I'll point out I've had old lots of 296 distributed by Winchester that varied as much as 10% in burn rate (estimated from performance). Hodgdon says they have tightened lot-to-lot burn rate variations so all the powders they distribute now meet the 3% limit they have on the Hodgdon brand powders. They have set aside special lots that are right at the middle nominal burn rate for each, and do their load data development with those special lots. That minimizes the difference from any particular lot sold and their load data. So, for any powder distributed by them, Hodgdon's own load data is currently the best statistical representation. Old data put together by folks who bought the powder off the shelf before Hodgdon's tighter controls were in place may have developed their loads with a slow lot that genuinely required a larger charge to perform equally. No convenient way to know now.


To address your question:

I expect Buffalo Bore may be using Alliant's new 300-MP powder. Alliant shows a 125 grain bullet getting about 2000 fps from a 10" barrel with it and a 158 getting almost 1700 fps. Figure something like 150 fps less in a 6" revolver barrel. In most magnum handgun loads it gets a couple hundred feet per second more than we are accustomed to with H110/296, according to Alliant's data. It's just a newer formulation that is able to keep pressure up better in the bore after the peak to add more late barrel acceleration. That may mean the performance in short barrels isn't much improved over H110/296 and it likely makes a bigger fireball (I haven't got hold of any yet, so I can't say), but in full length barrels it could help.

You frequently hear the notion of blending powder suggested, but it's hard for me to fathom the powder makers would not have packaged such mixes for sale if they actually worked well. Duplex loads, where the powder is layered, is another possibility. That's almost more a loading technique than a powder quality, though.
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Last edited by Unclenick; May 11, 2012 at 02:49 PM. Reason: clarification
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